Sochaí Aontaithe
by AlphaWolf13
Summary: After Apocalypse, the X Men aren't working as a team and the Professor is concerned. After a complete Danger Room disaster, Professor X calls in a favor and the X Men find themselves in a communist community of Mutants. Drama ensues. R&R Various Couples
1. XCommunication

**Okay so here's the scoop. In history class, we're studying communism and it inspired me. I got this really good idea to have a small community in Ireland that was like a small communist community of mutants. Just to warn everyone, I have only watched Evolution as well as the movies. I haven't read the comics, so while I love X men, I might not be extremely accurate. To top it all off, I'm a serious LancexKitty fan and I also enjoy some mild RoguexGambit so in my mind, directly following the defeat of Apocalypse, Lance and Gambit joined the X men. Also, I personally don't think what I'm envisioning should be rated M. I mean, teen should include mild language and suggestive themes. But, if anyone really thinks I'm pushing the limit, I'll change the rating. So with no further ado, I present to you my story. **

**Disclaimer: Hahaha, really… **

**Chapter 1**

**X-Communication **

"Behind you," Cyclops hollered but it was too late. Magma turned around, wide-eyed, just in time to see the airborne vehicle coming towards her. It landed and rolled into her, knocking her out.

"Nighcrawler, do you see her?" Cyclopes called out to his teammate who was searching the area for their target.

"Cyclops, stop pushing! You asked me the same question just a minute ago," Nightcrawler called back.

"And you mean you haven't found her yet?" he rebuked.

"Uh guys, I could use a little help over here," Rogue shouted, taking down probes with kicks and punches.

"Who's supposed to have your back?" Cyclops asked.

"Iceman," she replied.

"Well then, where is he?"

"Over here," Iceman called, dragging Magma's unconscious form to safety.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cyclops barked.

"Rescuing Magma," Iceman replied. "Unless you'd prefer her as a pancake."

"You're supposed to be helping Rouge," Cyclops scolded. "Who's Magma's backup anyway?"

"You are, man," Sunspot snapped from somewhere off the left where he and Cannonball were facing an attack of their own. "So lay off."

"You riding us too hard, dude," Berserker commented.

"Better I let you die instead, your right," he replied sarcastically.

"_Cyclops, where are you_?" Jean's voice screamed in his head.

"_We're looking Jean, we won't be much longer_," he replied mentally, hoping she got the message.

"We're getting crushed over here," Multiple called to no one in particular and Wolfsbane snarled in agreement.

"I can't say I'm doing much better myself, mon ami," Gambit chuckled darkly.

"Pull it together guys," Cyclops ordered.

"Shadowcat," Avalanche shouted hysterically, using his power to shift the ground, sending Shadowcat tumbling out of the way of an oncoming blast. Unfortunately, Avalanche's powers still needed to be refined. His earthquake knocked everyone off their feet, leaving them open for attack.

People screamed, fires grew, bolts of energy came shooting out in all directions. One team member inadvertently incapacitating the other, shouting commands with no real purpose other than keeping themselves safe. There was no teamwork.

"Simulation terminated," an overly perky, yet somehow mechanical, female voice droned, the sound echoing though the Danger Room. Slowly, the simulated images started to fade, leaving nothing more than a bunch of scared teenagers standing in a room.

Charles Xavier rolled into the room with Ororo Monroe and Logan aka 'Wolverine' at either side. Jean Grey followed behind them and hung her head in embarrassment; embarrassed by her own team.

"What in the name of sanity was that?" the Professor barked. Usually a calm man, he was having trouble keeping himself composed. He'd seen his team be at odds before, but since the defeat of Apocalypse, they had been ridiculously out of communication with one another.

"Professor," Scott began but Charles silenced him with a look.

"You weren't any better than the rest Scott. I don't want to hear it," Charles scolded. "That was the biggest show of complete derailment I've ever witnessed."

The team was silent for a good few minutes, feeling ashamed and hating having let the professor down.

"Go," Professor X ordered, shaking his head in defeat. "Go to your rooms and get some rest. Hopefully by morning I'll have found an appropriate way to deal with the situation you've created."

"I'll keep watch over the little sprites," Logan offered, following the sulking students out.

"Is there any way I can help Charles?" Ororo asked, placing a hand on the professor's shoulder and looking down at him. He looked back up and smiled sweetly.

"Could I use your phone?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," Ororo agreed, taking her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Don't worry about the bill but I've got a long distance call to make," Charles sighed.

"Anything else I can do?" she asked.

"Help Logan," Charles chuckled. "He's got his hands full of unhappy teens."

"Alright. Goodnight Charles," she said, exiting the Danger Room.

"Good luck Ororo," he mumbled as he watched her leave.

Professor X opened the phone and dug a number out of the back of his mind that he hadn't called for years. He punched the number in and waited for an answer. On the third ring, someone picked up.

"Good afternoon, though I suppose it's evening there. I'm looking to speak with Siobhan Fitzpatrick." – a pause – "Hello Siobhan, this is Professor Charles Xavier telephoning from the New York. I'm not sure if you remember me. I was a good friend of you're mother's." – another pause – "Yes, we did in fact meet at her funeral. You're memory astounds me." – pause – "I was hopping to call in a favor. You know who I am and you know that my students have unique abilities." – silence – "I was hopping that my students could come spend some time with you and the _sochaí aontaithe_*. They've been at odds latley and it seems to me as though they need to be taught a lesson in togetherness."

There was a long wait while Siobhan contemplated the offer. Her answer however did not disapoint.

"Good," Charles said. "We'll be arriving in the morning."

*_unified society_ in Irish

**PS: If anyone who reads this happens to be an expert in Irish and notices that I made mistakes in the translations, feel free to inform me. Google Translate can give some pretty crappy translations; I've seen it butcher French countless times. Also, the **_sochaí aontaithe_**is going to need members so if anyone has any ideas for possible characters and powers, let me know. I might not necessarily use them, but it'll for sure give me inspiration that I'll need to keep writing. I probably won't update right away, I just wanted to post this to see what kinda feedback I get. Finally, reviews are much appreciated and thanks for reading. **


	2. Check Privacy Settings

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I just suck at time management. But really, I have no time. I'm so busy; dying is actually going to have to get put on my to-do list. Seventy years from now I'll still be trying to finish my homework :P But seriously, sorry this is so late and do expect the next chapter to be up just as slowly. Thanks for sticking with me though. Hope you enjoy. Read and Review. **

**Chapter 2**

** Check Privacy Settings **

"So he wakes us up at five in the morning, asks us to pack our bags and head down to the Blackbird and then he refuses to tell us where we're going," Scott ranted, trying to wrap his head around the insanity.

"Scott, I'm sure the Professor has a good reason behind his actions," Jean said, taking her seat next to Scott and strapping herself in.

"But how are we supposed to know how to deal with whatever evil he's taking us to fight if we don't know anything about it?" Scott asked stubbornly.

Somewhere off to the side, Logan chuckled heartily.

"What?" Scott snapped.

"When did you hear Charles mention anything about evil?" Logan rebuked, laughing once more.

"You know more than you're telling us," Scott accused.

"We're going to visit an old friend of the Professor's who lives in Ireland," Logan confessed, with some resistance. "I don't know anything else. But like Jean, I trust the man. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

With the Blackbird's incredible speed, it took little over an hour for the Irish coast to come into view. The Professor landed the jet just outside a monstrous wrought iron gate on a field of grass. Inside the gate, the teens could see a large expanse of endless field to their left and right. Staring them in the face was the ocean, vast and blue and eternal. But there in the field, before the ocean was an entire village. Little stone houses were nestled in the grassy hills, and in the center of it all was a small stone temple, the city centre.

One by one, the teens disembarked the jet, stepping into damp grass. The morning air was fresh, a slight chill lingering from the night.

"This is incredible," Jean murmured, her breath visible in the cold air.

"Who goes there?" called a voice from behind the fence. The large gates swung open and a black woman marched pointedly towards the group. She had the figure of an angle, wide hips and tantalizing curves, toned arms and legs. Her hair was long and black. She wore a traditional African dashiki shirt that fell to her mid-thighs, leaving her bare legs exposed.

"Hello, my name is Professor Charles Xavier," the Professor said without so much as batting an eye. "We were invited."

"It's alright Asha, they're not trespassing," interrupted another voice, this one with a thick Irish accent. Soon the group placed the voice to a young woman coming out of the gates. She looked no older than in her early twenties, with a warrior-like physique; toned calf muscles and sturdy shoulders. She was dressed almost like something you'd see out of a Greek mythology book when it came time to learn of the Amazons. A tight leather band was wrapped around her large bust, her midriff exposed, showing great definition. Resting low on her hips was a leather skirt that flimsily covered her and left little to the imagination. Her wrists were adorned with thick leather bands and on her feet were leather shoes similar to ballet slippers. The most stunning thing about her however was her long orange hair.

"Good to see you again, Siobhan," the Professor said, rolling out of the Blackbird.

"Professor Xavier, it's been a while," Siobhan replied, stepping forward to shake his hand. Logan quickly stepped in front of her to cut her off.

"It's quite alright Logan," the Professor said reassuringly. "Miss Fitzpatrick may look threatening, but she's civil, I promise."

"Yeah, sorry about the outfit," Siobhan apologized. "I was teaching a class on ancient warfare. I got a bit carried away. Would you like to come in?"

"That would be very nice, Siobhan, thank you," the Professor replied.

"Are you gonna need help with the chair? We don't have footpaths but I can get a telekinetic to come out and get you around."

"That won't be a problem," the Professor replied. "Jean, if you wouldn't mind."

Slowly the Professor's chair rose off the ground and hovered about a foot in the air.

"Well than, if you'd all follow me," Siobhan requested and began to lead the group into the compound.

"This is, like, so beautiful," Kitty squealed.

"Thank you. What's your name sweetie?" Siobhan asked.

"Katherine Pryde. But you can so call me Kitty."

"Nice to meet you Kitty," Siobhan said, smiling at the younger. "We should all properly introduce ourselves later, once I find everyone, that is."

"I don't understand what we're doing here, Professor," Scott whispered to the much older man.

"I've asked Miss Fitzpatrick to train you," the Professor clarified aloud. Panic erupted as all the students talked over one another. The Professor had never left them with anyone they didn't know before. How long were they staying?

"And I accepted but it would be nice if you'd all be quiet," Siobhan snapped. Silence fell. "So much better."

"Siobhan runs a communist community of mutants, like her mother before her. I want her to teach you about teamwork, seeing as how it's been sorely lacking for near to a month now," Charles explained.

"And you really trust her?" Logan grumbled.

"I've been keeping this community alive since I'm fifteen years old," Siobhan sighed. "You think I can't look after a group of teens? I don't think we've been introduced, by the way. I can't take you seriously while referring to you in my head as Pissed-Off-Cowboy."

"Logan."

"Nice to meet you, Logan. I'm Siobhan."

Logan stopped and sniffed the air, tense.

"There's someone here," he rumbled.

"Logan, maybe it's time someone explained to you the concept of houses," Scott chuckled. "You see those buildings? People, believe it or not, actually live in them."

"You think you're smart, Summers. I meant right here."

"Damn it! I thought I was gonna be able to sneak up on you," a male voice said, thick with a Cuban accent. The air shimmered out of nowhere, standing behind Logan, was a man. He was a good few inches shorter than Logan with sun-kissed skin and short dark hair framing warm brown eyes.

"Miguel, this is getting old," Siobhan sighed. "You'll have to forgive my friend. He's what you would call a bit of a loose screw."

"Is that a slam sweetheart?" Miguel sniped.

"Yes," Siobhan said shamelessly. "Now could you do me a favor and round up Rani and Quinn?"

"Yes, your highness," Miguel replied, winking at her and disappearing just as quickly as he appeared.

"He's can teleport?" Kurt asked excitedly, hoping he'd found someone like him.

"No, he has the power of invisibility. He's under the impression that it's showier for him to use his powers. It's not, it's just more annoying," Siobhan scoffed. "You'll get the full introduction in a minute."

"Where are we going?" Kitty asked. She was awfully chatty because unlike the rest of the X-Men, she felt safe and at home in the compound.

"The temple in city center," Siobhan replied. "It's our biggest meeting ground."

Just then, the temple came into view. It was gorgeous and looked like it had been standing for millennia, but Siobhan informed them that it had only been built some 50 years ago along with the rest of the compound. It was made of beige stone and stood about three stories, the tallest building in the compound. Inside, there were sculptures of countless Celtic deities.

"You're not gonna, like, have us pray to these guys, are you?" Kurt asked anxiously, looking at a statue of The Morrígan.

"Only if you want to," Siobhan said, understanding. "A lot of people here don't worship Celtic Gods though, so don't worry."

The temple doors opened, showing Miguel, Asha, a man and a woman standing in the entrance.

"I found them," Miguel chuckled as he half walked half skipped over to Siobhan's side.

"We found you, you mean," the man huffed, his accent marking him as Irish. He was taller than Miguel with shaggy sand-brown hair and brilliant blue eyes.

"Little details," Miguel sighed, brushing him off.

"Will this take long, Siobhan? I have a wash on?" the woman asked nervously. She was dressed casually in a purple long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Her black hair fell just past her shoulders and her skin was a beautiful mocha color. A bright red bindi adorned her forehead.

"It might so I'll get introductions out of the way, then I'll let you go," Siobhan replied.

"Thanks Von," she said, smiling.

"Um, I guess we'll start the introductions with you guys," Siobhan said, gesturing to Charles.

"Hello, my name is Charles Xavier. I run Xavier's school for gifted youngsters. My age? That's none of your business. I'm a telepath."

"Wolverine," was his one-worded introduction.

"My name is Ororo Munroe aka Storm. I can control the weather."

And then introductions moved on to the juniors.

"I'm Scott Summers, or Cyclops. I can project energy beams out of my eyes, so don't touch the shades."

"My name is Jean Grey. I am telepathic and telekinetic."

"Hey everyone, I'm Kitty Pryde alias Shadowcat. I can phase."

"My name is Kurt Wagner or Nightcrawler. I can teleport."

"I'm Rogue. I can absorb people's skills, memories and in the case of mutants, their abilities."

"Bobby Drake. But you can just call me Iceman."

"Um, yeah, I'm Lance Alvers. I also go by Avalanche. I can make earthquakes and stuff."

"Hi my name is Amara Aquilla aka Magma. I can create and control lava."

"Gambit. Or Remy LeBeau if you want. I can manipulate kinetic energy; fancy talk for _I blow things up_."

"My name is Sam Guthrie. I do this jet propulsion thing so they call me Cannonball."

"Hey I'm Roberto da Costa alias Sunspot. I take solar energy and transform it into physical strength."

"Hi I'm Jamie Madrox or Multiple. I can make duplicates of myself."

"My name is Rahne Sinclair also Wolfsbane. I can shape-shift into a wolf."

"Hey guys, I'm Ray Crisp aka Berserker. I can create and manipulate electricity."

And then it was time for the others to get down to introductions. The X-Men watched them intensely. It was Siobhan who spoke first.

"Um, so I'd like to start by introducing all of us as a whole. We call ourselves the_ sochaí aontaithe. _It' translates to unified society in Irish. We are, as Professor Xavier said, a communist community of mutants. But we aren't an oppressive kind of communist. On the contrary, people here are freer than they are anywhere else, in my opinion. This is private property that was purchased by my grandfather when the _sochaí aontaithe _was first created so the residents here are able to use their powers freely. As for my own self-introduction, My name is Siobhan Fitzpatrick. I'm twenty years old, but I've been the head of the society since the age of fifteen. My alias is Succubus, seeing as how I have the ability to, I guess you could say, control pheromones."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Logan grumbled. "I'm not leaving the kids here, no matter how much Charles trusts you, unless you'll tell me straight who you are."

"Fair point," Siobhan replied. "I guess if you want me to be frank, I have the abilities you'd usually expect to see from a sex goddess. I emit pheromones much more potent than the average human and I can increase the potency at will. I have the ability to stimulate others sexually with little more than a look. And, the most important thing you should know about my ability is that nothing is a secret. Your sexuality, your fantasies, your attractions, I instantly know them. I don't mean to pry, but the moment you get within a twenty foot radius, it's over. I wouldn't ever share this information with anyone, but just so you know."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better," Logan scoffed.

"But it should," Siobhan retorted. "This way, you don't have to worry about any funny stuff going on. I can sense when people are being intimate form close to five miles away. You're children are safe with me."

"I'm sure they are Siobhan," Charles said, shooting Logan a warning look.

"So I guess it's my turn," Miguel piped up excitedly. "Hello all, my name is Miguel Rodriguez. I'm 23 originally from Cuba and have been living at the society for close to three years now. My power is invisibility so I'm known as Chameleon. I'll be mentoring those of you with the ability to use your energy to manipulate matter, which means I'll be working with Kitty, Kurt and Remy."

"My name is Asha Johnson," Asha continued. "I'm 27 years old. I've been living at the society of 23 years. I can shoot lightning bolts from my hands, earning me the name Shockwave, so I'll be mentoring those of you with power over energy; Scott, Sam, Roberto and Ray."

"Uh, hello, my name is Rani Malik," said the woman with the bindi, shyly. "I'm 35 years old and I've been at the society for 10 years. I can manipulate plant growth so I also go by Redwood. I'll be working with people with earth magic, our fancy term for people who can manipulate one of the four elements in some way. Bobby, Amara, Lance, I'm looking forward to working with you guys."

"So, hi," said the Irishman. "I'm Quinn Murdock. I'm 22 years old and both I and Siobhan were born here at the society. I can shape-shift into an owl which is why the call me Wisdom. I'll be working with the shape-shifter and the cloner; Rahne and Jamie."

"Which means that Jean and Rogue," Siobhan said. "You guys fall under the category of Psyche users, so you'll be working with me."

"Hear these words, X-Men," the Professor said solemnly. "Siobhan and her colleagues have opened up their home to you and I want you all to work your hardest and most of all treat them with respect. The sochaí_ aontaithe _has been a safe haven for mutants to live and work together for fifty years. If there's anyone who can teach you great things, it's them."

"We'll behave, Professor," Scott promised and the rest nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll be back to check in on the little sprites," Logan said, almost threateningly.

"I'd lose my respect for you if you didn't," Siobhan replied.

Once some last minute things were decided, Siobhan walked Logan, Ororo and the Professor to the front gates. Logan insisted on pushing the Professor's chair across the uneven terrain, even though Siobhan offered to get a telekinetic to help. Once at the front gates, Ororo and Charles boarded the Blackbird, leaving Siobhan and Logan outside.

"I don't trust you," Logan told her.

"Really, because you're fantasizing about doing some things that in my opinion do require at least some semblance of trust," she retorted.

"That's not me," he rebuked. "You're using your sex goddess mojo on me."

"I'd never. It's not ethical. I'd only use my power in a consensual situation," she snapped, clearly offended.

"Than maybe I just need to get you out of my system," he said, suggestively.

"There'll be time for that," Siobhan giggled. "But I think you're jet is going to take off without you."

"I'll be back," he said. "I still don't trust you."

"Doesn't stop you from wanting me," she replied.

"I'm almost glad it doesn't."


	3. Cabin Conflict

**Yeah, I know, this is taking forever. I'm sorry. Definitely won't be done until June and the updates will not be regular. Hope you stick with me anyway. Review and let me know what you think so far. Again, so sorry for the delays. From here on the story moves into multiple couple territory, which is why none are in the description cuz there are too many. I don't want to give too much away, so the official pairings will only be disclosed in a few chapters time, though they seem pretty obvious to me reading. Once again, please enjoy and review. **

**Chapter 3**

**Cabin Conflict**

"So, like, where are we sleeping?" Kitty asked once Siobhan had gotten back to the group who was hanging out with their bags.

"See those five houses downfield?" Siobhan asked. And they did. They were the same as all the other houses, maybe a little smaller.

"You guys will be saying there while you're here," she finished. "There's one room with a double bed and a sofa one of you can crash on, so I guess it's three per cabin for the first three and two people sharing the last one."

"Alright well I guess the boys can take the first three cabins and the girls can have the last two," Scott said.

"You don't have to break up by gender if you don't want to," Siobhan clarified. The X-Men turned to her, surprised.

"Well come on. You guys have superpowers. If you wanted be fooling around do you honestly think a wall could stop you?" Siobhan asked quizzically. "Besides, I don't care. I was a teenager once myself and not too long ago. Just be safe; there are condoms under the sinks in the bathrooms. Other than that, go wild."

"Um, I still think it would be more responsible," Scott began but was cut off as Kitty shrieked, "I call a room with Lance!"

The group all stopped dead and turned to look at a normally sweet and innocent Kitty.

"What?" she asked. "I didn't say I was gonna sleep with him but do you honestly think I'm going to pass up the opportunity to stay with my boyfriend? Assuming that's okay with him," she continued, eyeing Lance.

"If that's what you want," he replied.

"Than I guess Kitty and Lance are sharing a cabin," Scott sighed, frustrated that no one else seemed to be listening as they all broke off into their own groups.

"Scott," Jean said timidly. "Everyone else seems to already have a full group. Would you mind if I stayed with you?"

Scott, frazzled, looked down at her with confusion. "Really?"

"Um, well, Ray, Kitty and Lance are in cabin one. Roberto, Sam and Bobby are in Cabin two. Rogue, Remy and Kurt are in cabin three. And Jamie, Rahne and Amara are in cabin four which leaves…"

"…You and me," Scott finished for her. "Well, I guess that's fine." It was more than fine but Scott knew that saying as much could end up getting him castrated. Jean was so…Jean. She was all he'd ever wanted, which could easily get him in trouble with her.

"Just so you guys know, the fridges are stocked and the laundry rooms have plenty of detergent. We're here to teach you. As for cooking and cleaning, you're on your own. Meet me out here around nine tonight," Siobhan called over the noise. "Until then, just amuse yourselves."

**XxX**

"I'm pretty sure she's crazy," Scott semi-yelled.

"I think crazy is a strong word," Jean countered. "She's just not as conservative as us. Having a power like Siobhan's must make… sex… seem like no big deal. And it's not just Siobhan. There are plenty of people with or without mutations who feel the same way."

"Yeah, well I'm not like those people," Scott growled. "Sorry you got stuck with me Jean. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't be stupid Scott," Jean said. "You'll sit next to me on the Blackbird, where we often fall asleep leaning on each other, but you won't share a bed with me. I'm not a leper."

"You have a point," Scott sighed. "I'm just worried about the others. They're not all as responsible as we are."

"But they _are_ old enough to make their own decisions," Jean reminded him.

"Let's just hope they're decisions they don't regret."

**XxX**

"This is like, totally amazing," Kitty said, looking through the whole house excitedly.

"I'll take the couch," Ray sighed, plopping his bag down at the foot of said piece of furniture.

"Nice of you to offer," Lance said. "This way we don't have to force you."

"I'm not gonna be kept up all night with sounds of the two of you getting it on, am I?"

"Depends, you a light sleeper?" Lance chuckled.

"Lance," Kitty shrieked, smacking his chest halfheartedly. "You're making me sound like a tramp!"

"Definitely not, all you'll need is a cheap pair of earplugs, maybe even headphones will do."

"Lance!"

**XxX**

"Thanks Bobby for…um…" Roberto cleared his throat nervously, trying to select the right words without making the situation more awkward than it already was.

"It was a relatively easy choice, really. You and Sam are clearly the lesser of two evils. Kitty's a bit anal for me," Bobby replied said before stifling a giggle. "No pun intended."

"Bobby, why did we ever talk to you about this in the first place?" Sam sighed.

"I believe it was due to the malfunction of bathroom lock," Bobby replied.

"Un huh, right, I'm gonna go set up my stuff up," Roberto announced.

"Take your time Roberta," Bobby teased.

"I'll help you hide the body," Sam chuckled as a pillow came flying out of the bedroom and hit Bobby square in the jaw.

"I'm just trying to help my friends keep their little secret, what are you getting mad at me for?" Bobby asked, defensively.

"Yeah, it's a secret for now, but you heard what Siobhan said," Sam muttered.

"And she said she'd never tell," Bobby countered. "Don't panic. And worse comes to worse, I'm not too shabby at hiding a body myself."

**XxX**

"I appreciate you guys wanting to stay with me and all, but I'm not gon' take the couch," Rogue said once she, Remy and Kurt entered their cottage.

"You are not going to keep a coldblooded Cajun warm, _ma chère_?" Remy asked, feigning offense.

"One, never gon' happed," Rogue snapped. "Second, I'd keep you warm alright; I'd fry you. I'd take my chances with fuzz ball over there before I would come anywhere near someone like me."

"Rogue, you think so little of yourself. Remy knows you would never hurt him," Remy sighed.

"Remy also refers himself in the third person," Rogue grumbled.

"Not to get in the middle of your lover quarrel, but is anyone else hungry?" Kurt wondered.

"Remy could for an omelet right about now. What about you, _ma chère_?"

"I'm all for the idea. So long as you're eating, you ain't talking."

**XxX**

"She did say amuse yourselves right?" Jamie asked, fidgeting restlessly on the couch next to his two roommates.

"I know you want to go out Jamie, but we just got here," Rahne pointed out.

"Yeah, we should give the locals a chance to adjust before going out," Amara continued.

"But this is so boring, there's got to be something to do," Jamie protested.

"Well," Rahne began. "When I was putting my bag away, I noticed a game of twister."

"No," Amara gasped.

"What? I love twister," Jamie whined.

"No, every round of twister ends with three more Jamies that there were at the beginning. I vote we do something that doesn't involve movement," Amara suggested. "We only have so many places to sleep."

"Are you saying I can't control my power?" he snapped.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Amara countered.

"How about Monopoly?"


	4. Clubbing Clothes

**Hi. Yes I know, you didn't expect to see me again. Sorry, I was visiting friends; procrastination and laziness. I hope the wait was worth it and that you enjoy. And remember, nothing motivates like reviews. **

**Chapter 4**

**Clubbing Clothes**

At around seven thirty, someone knocked on the door to Jean and Scott's cabin. Scott opened the door to find Siobhan leaning against the doorframe. She wore an off-one-shoulder tee and a pair of denim short-shorts with gladiator sandals.

"Hey Glasses, is Jean in?" Siobhan asked, pushing past Scott into their cabin.

"Come in," Scott sighed.

Jean came out of the bedroom at that moment and Siobhan beamed. "Hey Jean."

"Hello Siobhan, is there something you need?" Jean wondered.

"Just some company," Siobhan replied. "I don't suppose you brought any clubbing clothes, did you?"

"I don't think I own… clubbing clothes," Jean murmured, blushing furiously.

"I didn't think," Siobhan chuckled. "That simply won't due at all. Come with me," she ordered, grabbing Jean by the wrist and tugging her out the door.

"Don't worry Mister Summers, I'll have her home by midnight," Siobhan called.

"Uh, Siobhan," Scott began before having a door slammed in his face. Scott sighed and plopped himself down on the couch. What had The Professor gotten them into?

**XxX**

"You know, Siobhan, it's not that I don't appreciate you doing all this for us, but I think I'd feel more comfortable in my own clothes," Jean stammered. Siobhan had rounded all the girls up told them to _get girly_. Jean wasn't sure that girly was the right word for Siobhan's style. Maybe slutty…

"Jeanie, take a load off," Siobhan sighed. "I don't understand you. You'll run around a tight little spandex super suit but you won't go near short shots? There's a flaw in your logic," Siobhan scoffed.

"Hey Von, can I like, see if this fits me?" Kitty asked, pulling a black, long-sleeved crop top out of Siobhan's closet.

"Yeah, go for it. You know that hasn't actually fit me for a while so it's yours if you want it," she offered.

"Thanks," Kitty beamed, running to the washroom to try on her prize.

"Um, Siobhan?" Amara spoke shyly. She held up a silk, turquoise, backless top.

"That would look fantastic on you," Siobhan squealed. "Go try it on once Kitty gets out."

"Siobhan, you got shoes that go with this?" Rogue wondered, coming into Siobhan's bedroom in a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white, long-sleeved shirt adorned with pale pink skulls.

"I have just the pair," Siobhan squealed excitedly. She got up off her bed and began to dig in the bottom of her closet. "Found them!"

She emerged with a pair of knee high, black leather combat boots.

"…I love you," Rogue breathed taking the boots and putting them on.

"You have too much stuff," Rahne complained. "I don't know what to try! I don't even know what would fit!"

"Tell you what, there's a box with some of my mum's old stuff in the attic," Siobhan said. "She was closer to your size, I think."

"No, I don't wanna cause you any trouble," Rahne protested.

"It's fine," Siobhan assured her. "It's been long enough. I like seeing her things around. It's past the point where it hurts. Now it's just nice to remember. I'll go fetch it."

Jean followed Siobhan out into the kitchen/living room.

"Let me give you a hand," Jean offered.

"Thanks," Siobhan returned.

"You handled that really well," Jean said as Siobhan placed a chair under the attic hatch.

"It's not something I have to handle anymore. Like I said, I like remembering her. I'm keeping her things for my kids some day. Shame they don't fit me but my mother was much more petite than I am. That lamp over there on the end table was hers too. She bought it in Tibet when I was only young."

"I – Scott's parents died when he was little, I've never heard him talk about them, even though it's been so long. Sometimes I feel like he thinks he can't trust me, especially when I hear you be so open," Jean admitted.

"Some people are like that, Jean. You shouldn't worry. It's not because he doesn't trust you, it's because he doesn't trust himself. It's hard to heal if you don't hurt first. Maybe I'm just making assumptions, and correct me if I start shooting my mouth off, but I'm quite sure that he's never actually broken down and let it all out. He's in a leadership position; afraid to show weakness. Happened to me too."

"So how did you stop bottling it all up?" Jean wondered.

"To be honest Jean, there are still days that I do," Siobhan sighed. "Do remember meeting Quinn today?"

"Um, he was the other man, with the Irish accent?"

"That's him," Siobhan confirmed. "He saw me hurting. We've been friends since diapers so he said he wasn't gonna give up on me, that I'd yell and scream and hit him if a had to, so long as I started to feel better. He made me sit with him and talk for hours about anything and everything I remembered about her. He made me admit the things I resented about her, and the parts of herself I saw reflected in me, especially the ones I wasn't too fond of. I hated him for a good two years because he _would not_ leave me alone, but in the end, I'm glad he did. He's the reason I can live with her death. Maybe Scott needs someone like you to do the same for him."

"I just don't know how to approach him," Jean admitted. "I'm afraid of scaring him off."

"You've been friends for a while, no?"

"Since we're kids," Jean affirmed.

"Then it'll work out," Siobhan said. "Not saying it's gonna be easy, but it'll be better in the long run."

"So things are good between you and Quinn now?" Jean wondered.

"We're closer than ever," Siobhan sighed. "Here, grab this," she ordered passing down a cardboard box from the attic.

"So are you two…dating?" Jean asked, hesitantly.

"Me and Quinn?" Siobhan exclaimed, laughing lightly. "No. No! We grew up together; we're friends, nothing more."

"But, do you ever wish?" she wondered.

"I'm his little sister; it's always been that way. Changing that isn't a given, now is it."

"No, I guess not," Jean murmured. Siobhan put the chair back at the table and took the box out of Jean's hands.

"Rahne, what size to you take?" Siobhan called.

"That depends," Rahne replied, coming to the room with the girls.

"Ooh, there's this really pretty peasant skirt Mum bought in Bali. I bet it would look fantastic on you with a tank and some wooden jewelry."

Siobhan rummaged around until she triumphantly pulled out a long brown skirt with gold embroidery. She passed it to Rahne and grabbed a few bangles that had settled at the bottom of the box.

"That's gorgeous," Rahne breathed. "And you're sure you don't mind me wearing it?"

"Clothes are meant to be warn, not to get stored away in attics," Siobhan assured her.

"Von, like, check us out," Kitty squealed as she tugged Amara with her into the kitchen/living room. Siobhan gasped and if Jean had to be honest, she did too. They both look incredible; so full of life and energy. Clubbing clothes tended to do that.

"Um," Amara muttered. "You don't think it looks stupid? I'm kinda worried about not wearing…"

"A bra?" Siobhan supplied. Amara nodded briskly. "Don't worry, if I can pull it off, you'll have no problem. It actually looks better on you, I think."

Amara blushed profoundly. "Thanks."

"I mean it," Siobhan insisted. "And you look amazing as well, Kit. Like a real spitfire."

"Isn't it, like, totally awesome?" Kitty agreed. "You think Lance will like it?"

"He's a guy," Rogue scoffed, joining them, now clad in Siobhan's boots. "That's kinda required."

"And you're not worried that Remy will find me attractive too?" Kitty challenged, laughing breezily.

"I would, 'cept Remy's not a guy, he's a knucklehead," Rogue scoffed.

"Remy, is that the French guy?" Siobhan asked.

"Remy LeBeau, the Cajun Neanderthal, that would be him," Rogue sighed.

"He's kinda got this intense energy," Siobhan said. "He needs to get laid."

"Beg your pardon?" Rogue stammered. The girls were all looking at Siobhan incredulously.

"His body is craving sex," Siobhan replied, condescendingly. She was met with shocked eyes.

"Oh come on, you're a bunch of teenage girls, are you really telling me you don't talk about this stuff amongst yourselves?"

"Um, not so liberally, no," Jean replied. "It's not like we don't talk about guys, but –"

"But it stays pretty PG-13," Kitty finished for a frazzled Jean whose face was reddening by the second.

"You consider thinking about sex and R rated event?" Siobhan asked, skeptically. "Are you sure you're teenagers?"

"Not thinking," Rahne corrected. "More like, talking about."

"Hey, I'm not opposed to the idea," Kitty threw in. "Teach us your promiscuous way, oh great one."

"How are things going with you and that Lance fellow?" Siobhan asked, waggling her eyebrows. The girls giggled, loosening up a bit. "I don't even know the full story," Siobhan continued. "Just that he's incredibly attracted to you."

"Incredibly? How incredibly?" Kitty perked up.

"Madly incredibly," Siobhan giggled. She could already feel the girls becoming much more comfortable around her. She would admit she was a lot to take in; all hormones and heat. But she didn't think that made her a bad person either; not immoral or unethical in the least. She was just different than what these girls were used to in a female role model. It was especially difficult to get Jean to relax in the slightest, but she was making progress.

"You never talk about Lance with us," Rogue pointed out. "What's going on there? Any experimental glances or wandering hands?"

"No, disappointingly enough," Kitty scowled. "He's all talk. He says he wants me but we've barely even made out! Mixed signals suck. How about things with you and Remy?"

"Oh, he's made plenty of advances, but they've all ended with him electrocuted or unconscious."

"But you wish he could, without getting the whammy put on him that is," Siobhan said, knowingly. Rogue blushed.

"It's like you said; teenager," she mumbled.

"What's going on between you and Scott?" Amara asked Jean, nervously. Jean was taken by surprise at being addressed and her head snapped up quickly.

"What do you mean? He's Scott, nothing's going. Nothing ever goes," Jean answered.

"Ah, the responsible ones," Siobhan sighed. "They're a bitch. You can never make any headway with them without being bombarded with questions. Are you sure? Are you ready? Can you commit? How do you feel?" Siobhan scoffed. "Spare me. Sometimes, believe it or not, sex is more about _not_ thinking than it is some big emotional connection."

"So I'd guess you're pretty experienced," Rahne said.

"Well, not by hooker standards, but I have quite a few conquests under my belt, pardon the pun." The girls chuckled as Siobhan licked her lips playfully.

"You're quite a character, Siobhan," Kitty giggled.

"Never was one for carbon copies," she agreed. "Life's too short, especially when you're like us. More specifically, like you. You guys face danger almost every day. I'm not trying to pressure you girls into anything, but I say grab life by the horns. You only get one; that we know of. Better to make the best of it, I think."

"Hey Siobhan," Jean spoke suddenly. "Did you say you had clothes for me?"

The girls squealed excitedly and Siobhan actually went as far as to start jumping up and down.

"Alright, you girls go to the bathroom to get makeup sorted while I work with Jeanie," Von shouted gleefully. She grabbed Jean by the wrist and dragged her into her bedroom while Amara, Rahne, Rogue and Kitty scampered off to the bathroom, the promise of limitless makeup fresh in their minds.


	5. That Night

**Hehe, sorry it's taking me so long. I just have very little idea as to where I'm going with this. I'm one of those people who starts writing something because they have a good idea but who doesn't envision any kind of conflict. But don't panic, I have the next chapters all thought out. So just do your job and review (even an anonymous review is fine) and I'll do my job and write. **

**Chapter 5**

**That Night **

"Where the hell is Siobhan?" Bobby scowled.

"She stole the girls and told me they'd be back," Jamie said.

"She did the same thing with Rogue," Kurt sighed.

"Jean too," Scott admitted, pouting.

"I'm not sure what happened to Kitty," Lance chuckled. "Someone knocked on the door, she squealed, and that's the last I saw of her."

"Fear not, friends," Miguel said as he and Quinn appeared from over the hilltop and came into the clearing. "Our dear Siobhan is a lot of things but punctual is not one of them."

"You get used to it after a while," Quinn added. He and Miguel were dressed, well, better than the other guys were. Miguel wore a pair of light skinny jeans and a white, half buttoned button down shirt. On his head was a black, pinstriped fedora.

Quinn, for his part, was dressed in a black muscle shirt and dark jeans. In his right hand he held a six pack of beer, in his left a stereo.

"That's Von for you," Miguel chuckled. "I'm sure she's still trying to decide what to wear."

"Oh no, Von was dressed hours ago," Quinn argued. "It's the girls she dolling up now."

"Am I really that predictable?" Siobhan sighed. The boys followed her voice to where she stood on the hillside. Around her were the other girls, all done up in the clubbing clothes Von had supplied them with.

"Right down to the dramatic entrance," Miguel assured her. The wind picked up, rustling her hair, as she smirked.

"If you'd like, I could probably get Quinn to play some sexy hot mamma music to emphasize the swish of your hips when you saunter over," Miguel joked shamelessly. He laughed as Siobhan stuck her tongue out and skipped over to him, grabbing his hands and twirling them around.

"Come on Miguel, you know you like the saunter," Siobhan teased.

"How broken is your gaydar?" Quinn scoffed.

"I resent that Murdock," Miguel rebuked. "Just because I play for the other team doesn't mean I can't appreciate a woman's subtle curves. Women are, hands down, the most beautiful."

"Guys are just for hot sex," Siobhan giggled. She and Miguel high fived. Quinn just scoffed.

The X-Men shared a look – a _what was the Professor thinking_ look. Scott was most perplexed. He couldn't understand why the Professor would have sent them here to learn teamwork. He felt like he was being plopped in the middle of a reality TV show about sexual promiscuity. He honestly couldn't wrap his head around the Professor's logic. And then his eyes settled on Jean for the first time and he stopped trying.

God she was gorgeous.

Siobhan had somehow talked her into wearing tight leather booty shorts and a flowing, long sleeved – and holy crap, cleavage bearing! – white blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a suave ponytail and her ears were adorned with silver hoops.

"Why did you call us out anyway?" Jamie asked, finally breaking the silence among the X-Men.

"Why else? The _sochaí aontaithe_ doesn't get new arrivals without throwing a celebratory party," Siobhan explained.

"The _sochaí aontaithe _doesn't do anything without throwing one of Siobhan's celebratory parties," Quinn chuckled.

"Yeah, but how much does anything ever happen here?" Siobhan replied, justifying her action. "And usually, it's not so much a party as it is me, you and Miguel getting drunk and experimental. I haven't had anyone to really rock out with in a long time." Quinn scoffed and gave her a questioning look.

"Don't be like that Quinny-poo," Siobhan said, putting on her best puppy dog face.

"I brought beer, didn't I?" Quinn sighed, giving into Siobhan as he so often did.

"Thank you," Siobhan said, beaming now, placing a quick kiss on Quinn's cheek.

"You're totally her bitch," Miguel chuckled.

"And you're not?" Quinn rebuked. Von had a way with people.

"I'm not sure partying, and with alcohol, is the responsible thing to do," Scott spoke suddenly.

"Dude, just go with it," Lance replied, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Scott, you should relax," Quinn sighed. "I'm not much of a risk-taker myself but even I know that this is okay. It's not like anyone has to drive home after and if things get too out of control, Siobhan can handle her liquor. She'll straighten things up," he continued.

"It's not like I can stop you guys," Scott admitted, reluctantly.

"And anyone who doesn't want to stick around doesn't have to," Siobhan added. "I only called everyone down here to make sure everyone knew they were welcome."

"Well, party on, I guess," Scott finally said. The others cheered as Quinn began to play whatever mixed tape was in the stereo.

Instantly, the field was filled with a heavy bass as the music pounded in their ears. The sun was just hanging on, still lingering enough to light the scene but not enough to leave them too illuminated.

Siobhan immediately started dancing, taking hold of Miguel and pulling him close. It wasn't that way for long before Quinn joined them to make a sort of Siobhan sandwich. Almost everyone watching them was blushing, astonished at what they were witnessing, used to being coddled and sheltered from such _grown up_ things. Everyone, except Kitty that is, who was getting ideas of her own.

"Hey Lance," she smiled, looking at him with wide, mock-innocent eyes. "You wanna dance?"

Lance's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "Sure."

"And you, _ma ch__ère,_ do you feel like dancing?" Remy asked Rogue, extending a hand. Rogue cautiously placed her gloved hand over his and let herself be led towards the makeshift dance floor.

"I could go for a dancing partner," Bobby whined.

"I could make that possible," Amara said, dragging Bobby off to where everyone else was.

"Hell yes," he said, almost a prayer.

"You know Scott," Jean began, suddenly popping up beside said young man. "Everyone is breaking off into pairs. What do you say you and I get together for a couple songs?"

Scott was hesitant. "I don't know, Jean."

"Well that's cool, I'll just ask someone else," Jean replied, knowing full well that if she couldn't get him to dance by asking, she'd be able to scare him into it.

"Um, actually, sure, I'll dace," Scott said at the last second, catching Jean's wrist as she was leaving. No way was he letting Jean dance with anyone other than himself. If she was going to have this wild and crazy night, he'd make sure nobody took advantage of her and that she didn't do anything she'd regret in the morning.

"Hey, Roberto," Sam said, hesitantly. "I sorta wanna head back to the cabin," he whispered.

"Not your scene either?" Roberto chuckled.

"Not when I can't actually dance with who I wanna dance with," Sam whispered, even lower than before.

"I'm sure we can still hear the music from the cabin," Roberto rumbled, his voice thick and suggestive.

"We should see about that," Sam replied, stomach knotting and flipping.

Siobhan let out a shriek as the beer she opened foamed over leaving her hand covered in amber ale.

"Damn it," she scowled. "Son of a bitch. Beer sucks, except I love it," she ranted.

"Buzzed Siobhan is cute," Quinn said, his breath blowing in her ear.

"Yeah, well drunk Quinn can't pass me a beer without shaking it," she replied. "Every time, Quinn."

"I just wanna make you wet," he chuckled, sliding his hands up her thighs.

"Drunk Quinn's also a perv," Siobhan sighed, "Why do I give you alcohol?"

"Maybe you're just looking to get some," Quinn suggested, nipping at her bare shoulder.

"Yeah, that's exactly what this is," she sighed, heavy on the sarcasm.

"You can have me whenever you want me, Von."

"You're drunk."

"I'm serious."

"Whatever."

**And from here we move into serious coupling territory. Expect to see the following; Jean/Scott, Remy/Rogue, Kitty/Lance, Sam/Roberto, Siobhan/Quinn. But keep an open mind cuz I might just get wild and add more cuz I'm like that. **


	6. The Morning After

**Here's the next chapter. Notice the witty chapter titles in 5 and 6. Chapter six is "The Morning After" "That Night" in chapter 5. I know, you can applaud. And, more importantly, you can review. **

**Chapter 6 **

**The Morning After **

Sam and Roberto lazily left their room hand in hand at ten the next morning. Siobhan had informed them all before they left that courses would start at one. Apparently the inexperienced X-Men weren't the only ones who had to sleep their buzzes off.

Bobby was already sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of what they assumed was coffee held like a lifeline in his hands.

"Good morning," Roberto greeted, stifling a yawn.

"Hung-over?" Sam asked, giving Bobby a sympathetic look.

"And mortified," Bobby replied, burying his nose in his mug.

"Because you're a talkative drunk or a horny drunk?" Roberto joked.

"I'd have to go with horny," Bobby muttered.

"Oh good God, I was joking," Roberto said.

"What happened?" Sam asked, concerned. He pulled out a chair at the other end of the table and sat, trying to establish eye contact and failing miserably. Bobby was staring intently at the tabletop, tracing the patterns in the wood. Roberto poured a cup of coffee for himself and Sam. He took them over and took a seat next to Sam.

"Well, you know how Amara asked me to dance last night?" Bobby wondered. The boys nodded, not liking where this was going, considering Bobby's considerably large guilt trip.

"Go on," Sam encouraged.

"Well, we started…kissing… and then kissing turned into making out, which included some intense groping," Bobby began explaining. He groaned and lowered his head even further until his forehead touched the table. "She wanted to sneak off and I wasn't about to argue. I mean, her top was backless and she wasn't even wearing a…a bra. Part of me knew I was being stupid and that we were both completely sloshed but it was a very small part, easy to ignore."

"Oh Bobby, you didn't," Roberto said, disappointment thick in his voice.

"I don't expect you to understand," Bobby snapped.

"Hey, just because the hormones are going other places doesn't mean they don't exist," Roberto argued. "I do in fact get it, but I'm still sorta disappointed in you. Just think about how Amara must be feeling."

"I am," Bobby snarled. "Which is why I'm grateful we only got to second base."

"Oh," Roberto said, regretful for being so harsh with his friend. "You made it sound like you went all the way."

"Well, that was the plan," Bobby admitted. "But when I got her back to the cabin…" he trailed off. "Let's just say I've never been happier to have my libido quashed but the sounds you guys make. You're like animals in heat."

Sam blushed furiously while Roberto's cheeks barley reddened, smiling smugly instead.

"Amara didn't hear us, did she?" Sam asked, embarrassed.

"She didn't get a foot through the door," Bobby replied. "So I doubt it."

There was a sudden knock at the door, making the boys all jump. They weren't expecting a visitor. Perplexed, Bobby got up and opened the door to find Amara standing there, blushing.

"May I come in?" she asked shyly.

Bobby nodded, soundlessly, opening the door and letting Amara by. She smiled nervously and took a seat on the couch.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Roberto asked, seeing that Bobby was far too stunned to offer himself.

"No thank you," Amara replied. "I can't stay long, I just came to talk with Bobby. Could we have a minute?"

"Sure," Sam said. "We'll be in the bedroom if you need anything."

Bobby paled, hearing the double meaning in Sam's words. That cheeky bastard.

When they were alone, Amara tuned to Bobby and sighed.

"Thank you."

"What?" Bobby asked, thinking he hadn't heard right. She was _thanking_ him?

"I don't like you that way Bobby," she said. "I hope that you don't feel that way about me because I'm sorry, but I only kissed you, and stuff, because I was drunk."

Bobby didn't know what to say to that.

"I just wanted to thank you for not going through with things last night. I know it's something I would have regretted doing. If I had been with Ray, things would be quite different this morning. You did the right thing, Bobby; a gentleman, as always. So I guess I just hope you would have regretted last night too, and that I'm not upsetting you by saying this," she finished.

"Oh thank God," Bobby said, letting out a breath. "That makes things so much easier. I was worried _I_ had upset _you_. I really don't feel anything for you but friendship, Amara. The only reason I… well, you're hot."

"Thank you," Amara giggled, bushing. "I obviously don't find you all that bad-looking yourself."

"So we're cool?" Bobby asked.

"Totally," Amara assured him. "Now, I should probably go. Jamie's making an omelet and Rahne is still in bed so it's up to me to prevent any kitchen disasters. By Bobby," she said, opening the door to see herself out.

"Bye Amara," Bobby called as the door closed behind her. Yes! Crisis averted!

Meanwhile, Kitty and Lance were pulling out of their almost comatose state. Lance was the first to awaken. He shifted and felt Kitty's bare shoulder against his bare chest. Bare? Bare!

Oh shit.

Lance slid himself into a sitting position, trying to remember what _the hell_ had happened. He remembered Siobhan organizing a party. He remembered Kitty asking him to dance. He remembered beer. He also remembered quickly discovering that he was a lightweight, feeling out of it after one of said beers. What he did not remember was what he did with Kitty. Things could be worse; they could have not been dating at all. On the other hand, dating almost did make it worse, seeing as how things like that were supposed to be special – to be remembered.

Kitty turned and Lance prayed she wasn't waking but to his dismay her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Good morning," she sighed happily. She shifted and placed a shy kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning," Lance replied, numbly. He felt Kitty cuddle up next to him and grateful felt her pajama bottoms rub against his leg. Okay, so she wasn't completely naked. Although he probably could have deduced as much by the fact that he was also still wearing boxers.

Lost in thought, Lance had completely neglected to return Kitty's embrace and she pulled back somewhat suddenly. She held the sheets closer to her chest, her eyes full of pain and rejection. Lance quickly realized his mistake.

"What's wrong," Kitty asked feebly.

"No, no! Nothing's wrong," Lance assured her, opening his arms and ushering her towards him. Kitty returned to sit next to him and Lance pulled her into a tight hug. He kissed the top of her head and played with her hair some before sighing.

"I want to be completely honest with you," Lance said finally. He felt Kitty stiffen in apprehension. "It's about last night."

"Starting to have regrets?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant but her voice betraying her by cracking.

"Only that I can't remember," Lance answered. He could tell that Kitty was upset so he stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I really wish I did."

"So, none of it?" Kitty wondered, her voice trembling.

"God babe, I'm so sorry," he murmured, kissing her head. He turned her to face him. As he suspected, she was crying silently. "I can only imagine how betrayed you must feel. I… I just want you to know that I really care for you, Kitty. Even if I can't remember, I meant every second of it; whatever I said, whatever I did, I'm sure of it. Unless…"

Lance paused taking a breath. He gained enough composure to finally ask the question he'd been dreading to know the answer to. "I didn't move to fast for you, did I?" The last thing he wanted was to have pressured Kitty into doing something she didn't want to.

"No," Kitty answered. "I mean, maybe we were moving a bit faster than a sober Kitty would have allowed, but you never pressured me into doing anything."

Lance let out a breath he was unaware that he'd been holding. "That's good."

He cleared his throat and asked another awkward question. "Did we…that is…How far…"

"No, we didn't have sex," Kitty answered. Lance nodded.

"I mean, we did pretty much everything else," she added. "But not that."

"I'm sorry that I can't remember," he apologised again. They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, but a good kind of eternity; the kind where everything was perfect and you could stay that way the rest of your life.

"Lance?" Kitty asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah Kit?"

"I love you."

"I wouldn't want to be love by anyone else."

**XxX**

Rogue stirred, waking on the double bed in her guest cabin. Obviously, she'd shared a bed with someone. She sighed profoundly. Alright, who had she inadvertently killed?

She looked over to where her mystery bedfellow would have slept and found a note on the pillow. She picked it up, trailing her fingers over the gold-embroidered stationery. On it was written in all too familiar, sloppy writing:

_Une très bonne matinée à toi, ma chère_

_I hope you slept well. You looked so peaceful. You have the face of an angel, passive and beautiful. Tu es plus belle que le printemps. As you read this, the most amazing of surprises is being prepared for you. But first, ma chère, you should relax further. Go to the washroom, take your time preparing yourself – pampering yourself – and when you are ready, come to the kitchen. __Je n'ai que de l'amour pour toi, ma chère. _

_Avec toutes mes affections,_

_Remy LeBeau_

"Crazy Cajun," she muttered under her breath. "He probably doesn't even realize that I can't read half of this. Damn bilingualism."

Nonetheless, Rogue rose from the – quite comfortable, she was definitely getting the short end of the deal – bed. She drug her tired form into the washroom, not even bothering to look for Remy or Kurt in the living room/kitchen.

When she opened the door to the washroom, she gasped. The air was warm and steamy. Candles had been lit all throughout the room – on the sink, on the toilet tank, on shelves. And, Rouge saw with great astonishment, a bath had been drawn. The water, as well as part of the floor, was covered in rose petals. Rogue placed her fingers in the water and noted that it was still warm and inviting. There, over the faucet was another note. She picked it up.

_Alors__, ma chère, are you enjoying yourself? The candles, the roses; you'd be surprised what Siobhan keeps in her cabinets. __But, they are just right for you – so beautiful. Tu mérites que je te donne le monde, comme tu es belle. __Just relax, and when you're finished, come outside of the cabin. You're day of indulgence isn't over just yet. _

_Remy _

Rogue sighed. Leave it to Remy to woo her. She wasn't sure if he realized this or not, but no wooing was needed. She was already plenty wooed. This was just hazardous to her health, seeing as how she though she was actually going to melt. None of the other guys had the nerve to peruse her, worried that she would fry them if they came on to strong. Not to say that their worries were unfounded, Rouge did remember saying exactly that, but it made her lightheaded that someone actually cared about her enough to try nonetheless.

After Rogue took her bath – which was not only topped with rose petals but infused with essential oils – she dried her hair and got dressed in a cerulean long-sleeved shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. On her hands were black gloves. She slipped on her black shoes and walk out of the cabin to find Remy holding a picnic basket under one arm.

"Good morning, _ma chère_," he greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

Rogue nodded.

"And this morning, did you enjoy your bath?" he asked.

She nodded again. "Why did you go through all that trouble?"

"You were pretty out of it last night," Remy chuckled. Rogue palled. Yup, last night was quite a blur.

"Don't panic, Remy didn't let you do anything stupid," he assured her. "Remy knows how much a hangover can hurt and was sure to prepare a morning treat for you."

"We slept together last night, didn't we?" Rogue asked. Why else would he be acting so strangely, even stranger than usual?

"If you mean in the same bed, yes," Remy replied. "But Remy didn't try to pull anything, main proof being that he's alive."

"Oh," Rogue mumbled. So much for that theory. "So you're really only doing this to be nice? This isn't some sort of apology for something that happened last night?"

"No, of course not," Remy replied. "Besides, if anyone should be apologizing, it's you. You threw up on Remy's shoes."

Rogue blushed furiously, averting her gaze. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologies," Remy said. "Just grant Remy the pleasure of a picnic brunch overlooking the Atlantic."

"You organized a picnic?" Rogue asked, head shooting up in surprise. No one had ever done anything like that for her before.

"C'est romantique, non?"

**XxX**

Scott awoke with the worst thrumming in his head he'd ever experienced, and this guy had had more than one concussion in his lifetime. Damn hangover. The events from the night before were fuzzy at best. But what he remembered with a shocking clarity was a tipsy Jean come on to him and his uncharacteristic reaction.

"I did what?" Scott exclaimed under his breath, unable to believe how he had handled the situation. He and Jean had been dancing, she had turned to hiss him and he had… _shoved_ her! Like seriously, pushed her away with a disappointed look in his eye and stormed off.

Okay, it's said that people, when intoxicated, do things that they would never normally do and Scott could vouch for that. Of all the _idiotic_ things he'd ever done, that ranked about number one.

"Are you kidding me, Summers?" Scott groaned. Sober Scott would have totally kissed her, or, God, at least let her down gently. Though he had to laugh at the irony, that where most people hook up with people they don't like when drunk, he rejected the girl of his dream.

He had _rejected_ the girl _of his dreams_! What the hell was the matter with him? How backwards could he be? Idiot! Idiot! I-di-ot! There was stupid and then there was that. He'd probably embarrassed her to the point that she would never want to speak to him again. And maybe he had been misreading things, but Jean hadn't seemed all that drunk. It was like kissing him had been her objective for a long time and all she needed was a bit of liquid courage to put her plan into action. Or maybe not. God he hoped not.

Scott turned over to get up but felt his stomach lurch with at the movement.

"Best not do that," Quinn laughed as he came into Scott's room with a waste basket in one hand and glass of orange juice in the other. He placed the basket on the end table beside the bed and handed Scott the orange juice.

"What are you doing here?" Scott wondered, his voice hoarse and throat dry.

"Taking care of you," Quinn replied. "Siobhan reckoned you wouldn't feel so hot in the morning and asked me to stay with you."

"And Jean?" Scott asked.

"You pulled quite a number on that one," Quinn sighed. "She's at Siobhan's. You're gonna have some apologizing to do."

"I can only imagine how much I hurt her," Scott sighed.

"Oh no, not to Jean – well yes, I suppose her too – but mainly to Miguel. His night was only just starting and you had already shut it down," Quinn chuckled.

"Oh, oops."

"Yeah, he's quite the party animal. Almost worse than Von is," Quinn explained. "But he'll get over it. He's just a cuddly little teddy bear when you get to know him."

"And you've gotten to know him?" Scott asked, hesitantly.

"We're not together, if that's what you're asking," Quinn replied, laughing at Scott's shyness. "Nope, definitely straight. Miguel's just a really good friend."

"Oh," Scott said. "It's just the way Siobhan made it sound..."

"Siobhan makes a lot of things sound like a lot of things," Quinn clarified. "She's just having her fun. Not to say that _nothing's_ ever gone on with us but it's like she said, when we're all smashed."

"You guys get drunk a lot?" Scott wondered.

"Surprisingly, no," Quinn divulged. "It takes a good few weeks to recover from Siobhan's parties. The one you were at, that was just a baby compared to the parties she usually throws. So I guess we only get crazy drunk maybe once a month, around holidays and such. It's best that way so we don't make a habit of it."

"I can assure you, this is not something I'll be making a habit of," Scott scoffed, feeling his stomach turn again.

"Just get some rest and drink plenty of fluids," Quinn advised. "Maybe take a shower, alternating between hot and cold water; that helps some people."

"Thanks Quinn," Scott said, closing his eyes and groaning. He felt just horrible.

"Don't mention it," Quinn replied, getting up and drawing the curtains, further darkening the room. He returned to the living area when he heard that already, Scott was snoring softly.

"Sleep well," he muttered. "You've got one hell of a woman to deal with when you wake up."

**Haha, yet another chapter down. If you are to lazy and/or unintelligent to look up the French bits in Google translate here are translations given to you by me who is gifted with "damn bilingualism"**

_Une très bonne matinée à toi, ma chère = _**A very good morning to you, my darling (love)**

_Tu es plus belle que le printemps =_ **You are more beautiful than Spring**

_Je n'ai que de l'amour pour toi, ma chère_ = **I have love but for you, my darling (love) **

_Avec toutes mes affections = _**With all my affections (with all my love)**

_Tu mérites que je te donne le monde, comme tu es belle_** = You are so beautiful that you deserve that I give you the world. **

**Yes, I admit translating English to French is hard but it's almost harder translating French to English. These are rough translations that don't hold nearly the same poetic beauty in English. But at least you now understand what our crazy Cajun was saying. So please, Review, pretty please with a cherry on top. **


	7. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned

**See, I told you that I'd update more regularly. Small warning, the f-word is used once in this chapter. I still personally believe that that's nothing a teenager hasn't heard before, but again, if anyone thinks it's too mature juts leave it in a review and I'll change the rating. It's not there's really any explicit sexual content, so this by all means doesn't actually belong in the rated M section, but I will listen to people's opinions. And, even if you loved the chapter, you should leave that in a review too… really. **

**Chapter 7**

**Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned**

The clock on the temple indicated it was five to one. The X-Men were waiting outside for their teachers to arrive so they could begin their training. Like all teenagers, the X-Men had broken off into two distinctive groups; girls and guys. The guys grouped simply out of necessity, knowing full well that when girls went into girl mode, it was best that they be left alone. And girl mode is what they were in. As the boys sat well out of earshot, the girls took turns retelling their versions of last night's events.

"What the hell does _I __wouldn't want to be loved by anyone else_ even mean?" Kitty asked, scowling. "I'm all paranoid that he wants to break up or something. Maybe he does remember and he didn't enjoy himself."

"I think you're overanalyzing things," Rahne said. "I'm sure he means just that. He loves the fact that you love him, he just doesn't love you back quite yet."

"I'd prefer a guy telling me something like that than just saying it back because he felt obligated," Amara added. "Don't you want him to really mean it the first time he says it?"

"I guess you're right," Kitty sighed. "I just feel like last night was a big mistake. It's not like I wouldn't do it again, but I just wish it would have been more special. It just bothers me that he doesn't remember."

Amara put an arm around the brunette and rubbed her arm reassuringly.

"He feels worse than I do about it though, which I guess is a good sign," Kitty added. "I think he wanted it to be special too. I just wish it hadn't happened at all. We both feel bad about it."

"This might seem weird," Rogue began. "But why don't you propose a do-over?"

"A do-over?" Kitty asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, since you were both under the influence, why don't you mutually agree that it didn't happen? Or at least that it didn't count as a first because it wasn't really you," Rogue explained.

"That may just work," Kitty said. "Where did you come up with the idea?"

"I _may_ watch a bit of Dr. Phil now and again when there's nothing better to do," Rogue murmured, blushing.

"Got any advice for Rejected And Dejected over here?" Rahne wondered, pointing to Jean who had been sulking since she first arrived, mumbling her explanation of her fowl mood in a single breath. _I tried to kiss Scott and he pushed me and stormed off_.

"Other than chin up?" Rogue wondered, sheepish. None of them had any idea what to tell her. They had all been under the same impression Jean had been – Scott liked he, he was just too shy to do anything about it.

"It's gonna be okay, Jean," Amara said. "If Scott says anything about it, which I doubt he will because he'll be too worried about your feelings, just laugh it off and tell him you were drunk off your ass. You may lose some points for irresponsibility but at least you won't have to live through the shame of him knowing your true intentions."

"Isn't there some other option in which he sustains a blow to the head and forgets everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours?" Jean whined.

"Maybe we'll stumble across a mutant that'll take the blank out of Lance's head and put it in Scott's," Kitty chuckled. "And there, problems solved."

"And maybe that same mutant can buy Remy a new pair of shoes," Rogue added. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

"Oh goodie, you're all here," a voice called, a singsong cry that floated across the open field. Siobhan had arrived.

"Von, take it down a couple decibels, would you?" Miguel scowled, squinting as her voice went right through him.

"Don't be pouty, Miguel," Siobhan chided. "Your headache is your own problem. I did warn you to take it easy."

"And then you finished said warning by passing me a beer. Thank you for having been so concerned," Miguel rebuked. Anyone could tell that their banter was of a playful nature, both equally hung-over, the Irish lass simply handling it better than the Cuban.

"Good afternoon," Rani greeted, smiling timidly. She clearly didn't like drawing attention to herself but knew better than to let Miguel and Siobhan go on like that.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Malik," Amara greeted, smiling fondly.

"Please, call me Rani," she offered.

"Rani then," Amara agreed.

"You rascals ready to get down to business?" Siobhan teased, hopping over and ruffling Kurt's hair.

"You bet," Kurt replied. "I barely slept a wink last night, I was so excited."

"Big mistake on your part," Quinn chuckled. "Miguel may be a tad sluggish now but once he gets going he's hard to keep up with."

"I'm sure the little queer is quite spry," Ray muttered under his breath. Siobhan bristled, her jaw tightening. Quinn put a hand on her arm and she let out a shaky breath, trying to rein in her temper. She shook her head tersely and squared her shoulders. Kurt's gaze dropped to the ground and he prayed silently, along with the other students who heard, that Ray kept his mouth shut. It was no secret that Ray was the most intolerant among the X-Men, even going so far as to purposefully disobey Ororo and hound the foreign X-Men about their ethnicities. Amara suspected she'd have fallen prey to his insolence too were it not for her good – or more importantly female – looks.

Much to the onlookers' horror, Ray elbowed Lance in the side, chuckling dryly, features twisted in repulsion. "It's a good thing that God damned faggot isn't coming anywhere near me, or else I might just be inclined to beat his face in. Honestly, what a sick, twisted pervert."

"Dude," Lance scowled, shaking his head in disapproval and incomprehension. Before Lance could continue scolding his friend on his inappropriate demeanour however, there was an audible snap which it was safe to assume had come from Siobhan's knuckles seeing as how her fist were clenched so tightly they had become white and her nails were biting into her palms, drawing blood.

"What the fuck did you say?" Siobhan snarled, enunciating every syllable with enough venom to scare an axe-murderer.

"Siobhan, just let it go," Miguel pleaded. He'd seen Siobhan get angry before at a comment someone had made about a friend and every time it had ended in blood. But Siobhan didn't seem to have registered a word he has said. So instead, he turned to Quinn, eyes pleading. Usually he could stop her. But Quinn just shook his head. Being equally as angry, he had no intention of stopping her. Helping her maybe, but definitely not stopping her.

Ray squared his shoulder in an act of defiance. This had Siobhan shaking in anger.

"Are you worried that I've upset your little pretty boy?" Ray spat. The words had hardly left his mouth before Siobhan's hand shot up and Ray was reduced to a withered mess, panting and moaning in the grass.

The X-Men had wondered how Siobhan could demonstrate such confidence, such certainty that she was untouchable. Her power certainly didn't seem offensive. But as they watch their teammate wither in agony, his erection straining against his jeans as Siobhan held on the edge of his orgasm, holding him prisoner to his hormones, leaving him mewling and winded, begging for release, they understood how she could be dangerous. While her specific brand of torture was unique, Siobhan certainly could do her fair share of torturing.

"You honestly think you're smart?" Siobhan snarled. "You're just another ignorant, insufferable, indigent brat, thinking you're some sort of God because of your abilities, as though they make you better. You have no right to pass judgment on anyone, certainly not a human being who's ten times more capable of being respecting and compassionate than you could ever hope to be."

"Please," Ray panted, a groan bubbling in his throat.

"You think this is unendurable?" Siobhan scoffed, chuckling darkly. "You say another word about word about Miguel – about any person for that matter – and so help me God, I can think of far worse tortures than this!"

"You crazy bitch," Ray exclaimed, completely panic-stricken.

"Shut up," Siobhan screamed, kicking him in the face, splitting his lip. That was all it took to shake Quinn out of his anger and soon his was holding Siobhan by the waist, dragging her away as she tried to land another blow.

"That's enough, Von," Quinn murmured against her shoulder in an attempt to quiet her. "Calm down."

"Calm down?" she spat, turning her full attention onto Quinn. "I most certainly will not calm down, Quinn Murdock. Not until that bloody punk is drinking his meals through a straw."

"You're being irrational, Siobhan," Quinn continued. He'd know Siobhan long enough to be sure that she'd never physically hurt him, even when she was angry like this. Even in her moments of blind fury, he was the one thing she saw and knew better than to hit.

"No, Quinn, I'm not," she countered. "Who does he think he is? He just, he needs to leave. He needs to get the hell off my property, out of my sight, and cower in some kind of ditch like the scumbag he is!"

"I understand, he insulted Miguel," Quinn began. "But that hardly merits a backlash of this magnitude."

"You don't understand," Siobhan cried, tears of rage slipping down her cheeks. Her hold on Ray faltered, allowing the X-Man to calm himself and assess the redhead's reaction. She did seem to be slightly more furious than necessary. "He's putting the whole team in jeopardy."

"The whole team?" Quinn asked, perplexed. "Siobhan, you made absolutely certain that nobody at the _sochaí _was homophobic. They'll all be just as upset as you are. I don't understand why you would think...unless you weren't talking about...oh," Quinn breathed, the realization finally dawning on him.

"You mean you're worried about our team," Jean spoke finally after a moment of silence in which one by one, the X-Men had realized what Quinn had been implying.

"Damn it, Quinn," Siobhan snarled. "What the hell is the matter with you? I told these kids I wouldn't betray their confidence and there you go, vociferously drawing out your conclusion with you're _unless_es and your _oh_s. Can you not think in your head? Keep a bloody thing to yourself?"

"Siobhan," Quinn gaped, trying to place a hand on her arm. She pulled away and almost hissed.

"Don't touch me!"

"Where are you going?" he asked as she began to storm off.

"To call Charles," she sneered. "That vile little homophobe is not staying here. Now, would you just leave me alone?"

And with that, she walked away, leaving a stunned and silent group behind her.

**Yeah, I don't know but I couldn't see anyone other than Ray as the villain. Would it make me a bad person if I said it was because of the Mohawk (or whatever that hair is supposed to be called)? **


	8. Revelations

**Another day, another chapter. Aren't you all proud? Last chapter you got to experience one of my gay pride rants. They tend to get thrown into almost every fic I write that has gay characters. And now that the secret is out, it's time to deal with the aftermath. I've named this chapter **_**Revelations**_** due to the fact that 1, things are being reviled and 2, the biblical references at the end of the chapter (you'll see what I mean once you read). So, there you go, a new chapter. Enjoy and review. **

**Chapter 8**

**Revelations**

Needless to say, there were no classes that afternoon. After Siobhan's hissy fit, Rani and Asha escorted Ray to the resident doctor's cabin, the later more dragging him than escorting, being nearly as protective as Siobhan herself.

After they were gone, Quinn announced that he was taking a rather shaken and mute Miguel back to his cabin. The X-Men weren't sure whether or not he was doing so with the sole intention of helping his friend or if he was also trying to get out of running damage control for what he'd let slip.

Soon, the X-Men found themselves alone, in front of the temple, faced with what could possibly be the biggest challenge they'd ever faced. Bring on the Sentinels, bring on Apocalypse, because they'd all be ready to admit that they were better at dealing with monsters than they were dealing with feelings.

"In light of recent events, I think we should all talk," Scott said, being the first to speak even one syllable since being left alone

"That would probably be wise," Jean agreed, letting out a slow, ragged breath. This wasn't going to be fun.

"May I suggest we move into the temple," Scott continued, moving towards the doors and holding them open. No one argued, they just followed Scott's advice and seated themselves inside. Roberto and Sam sat next to one another and exchanged a fleeting yet frantic glance. So much for safely kept secrets. Though neither of them was angry with Siobhan. If anything, they were a little glad she'd been so clear about her intolerance to all things intolerant. That didn't mean these next few moments would be any less painful however.

"Alright, so," Scott began, clearing his throat, having not even the faintest idea on where to begin.

"No offense Scott, but I can't imagine guy as square as you being able to lead a discussion like this," Bobby sighed.

"I'm not square," Scott rebuked. "Just a little old fashioned I guess. This isn't the sort of thing I've _ever_ thought about. But it's not like I'm completely closed to the idea either."

"Closed to the idea?" Bobby scoffed. "You make it sound like a choice."

"You're getting awfully defensive," Amara quipped. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell us Bobby?"

"Yeah, there is," Bobby rebuked. "Have you not been listening to me? I support gay rights and, quite frankly, I think poorly of anyone who doesn't. I myself am not gay, but if that's what you want to think than I really don't care. I'd rather be pegged as a homosexual than some homophobe who doesn't know the first thing about any sort of interpersonal relation let alone what constitutes a real, loving relationship."

"I'm totally with Bobby on this one," Kitty said and beside her, Lance nodded.

"Me too."

"Right, and I never said I was against the idea," Scott argued. "I'm just analyzing things from a group dynamic viewpoint. We were sent here because we weren't working well as a team and the last thing I want is to go back in worse shape than we were when we were sent here."

"Than your real problem shouldn't be with whoever's gay but with whoever opposes," Bobby replied. "If I can't trust that my teammates have each other's backs, regardless of their gender, race, religion or sexual orientation than this isn't a team I want to be a part of."

"He's right, you know," Jean said, eyeing Scott.

"Alright, and I agree," Scott sighed. "I'm not trying to alienate anyone. The last thing I want is for someone to feel left out. We all have enough to worry about. If it's not enough to be a mutant, this person also has to deal with the prejudices against homosexuality. The X-Men are supposed to represent acceptance, a safe place. That's not about to change."

"Scott, you're flipping out like someone here, other than Ray of course, is convinced that being gay is the work of the devil," Bobby interrupted. "But I haven't heard one person argue with any of us yet on accepting all X-Men just the way they are. I think your valid points are also moot."

"I suppose it would be easier to figure out the specifics if I knew how everyone felt," Scott admitted. "Guys, just be honest, does the idea of having a gay X-Man bother you?"

He was answered with a chorus of _of course not_s and _God no_s.

"Well than I guess Bobby's right," Scott said, relieved. "The only person we'll have to deal with is Ray."

"I know this might seem harsh, but he has no business being a part of this team," Rogue said. The others nodded in agreement.

"He's more than homophobic. He's racist and sexist," Amara added. "He's not someone we should be trusting with our lives."

"It's something we'll definitely bring up with the Professor," Scott agreed. "So is there anything else then?"

Jamie nervously cleared his throat. His voice was small and timid when he spoke. "Is it rude to ask who it is?" he asked finally. "I guess it's just in my nature to be curious, but more than that, I think there have been enough secrets in this team. So long as were on the subject, why don't we let everything out into the open?"

Sam nervously looked at Roberto out of the corner of his eye. Now that he knew that his team was behind them, why not come out. He saw Roberto nod every so slightly and he nodded back. It was now or never.

Roberto cleared his throat and all eyes fell on him. He looked to Bobby who nodded to his friend, a silent promise that all would go well lingering in his look.

"I," Roberto began, clearing his throat again, finding it suddenly hard to talk. He cleared his throat again and continued, managing to keep his voice from shaking but having no such luck with his hands. He took a deep breath and decided that the easiest way to say it would be to do just that – say it. "Sam and I have been seeing each other for seven months." There, that wasn't so hard.

The room went silent. Okay, so actually saying it, as it turns out, was much easier than waiting for a reaction.

"I'm assuming Bobby knew as much, from his little speech," Jean said, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I've know for a couple months," Bobby admitted, for once having nothing to hide. Although perhaps the circumstances under which the secret had come to his attention had best remain unknown.

"Well, it's good that you had at least one person to share your relationship with," Jean said, addressing the boys. "But that's all changed now," she continued. "If you ever need anything, you can come to any of us. We're all here to help."

"Thank you," Sam mumbled, trying to keep from crying. This was going much better than he'd ever imagined. Roberto gently took his hand, still feeling weird about public displays of affection.

"It means a lot to us guys, thank you all for being so supportive," Roberto said, knowing he'd only just touched on how truly grateful he was. Not everyone coming out was thins lucky.

"We're a team," Kitty said, smiling warmly. "That's just the way it is."

**XxX**

"The Professor isn't too happy with you," Logan scowled as he glowed at Ray. It was night. It had been for several hours. Siobhan had called and informed the Professor of what had happened between herself and Ray. Charles had agreed that Ray should be brought back immediately and duly punished. That's why Logan was now standing outside the gates by the Blackbird with Ray and still pissed Siobhan.

Ray said nothing; he simply stared at his feet.

"Get in the jet," Logan grumbled, patience growing thin.

Once Ray was safely inside and out of earshot, Logan turned to face Siobhan.

"I heard from Chuck that you stood up for two of our boys," Logan grumbled.

"Yeah," Siobhan replied. She'd had no choice but to tell Charles about Sam and Roberto, though the telepath wasn't surprised.

"Than I guess I should thank you, Red," he admitted, begrudgingly.

"Red?" Siobhan said, giggling. "You couldn't come up with something more creative? I was hoping Lilith. You've heard of her, I'm sure. It's said she was the first wife of Adam, created from the Earth just as he was. She was strong and wished to assert her equality, refusing to be subservient. She's also supposedly a succubus and a vampire queen, often leading to tableaus in which she has long, flowing, red hair. Does she not remind you of anyone?"

"Lilith," Logan breathed, feeling himself being hypnotized by the swing of her hips and the lull of her voice as she walked around him in circles, letting her fingers trail over his chest and back.

"Exactly," Siobhan whispered. "The way I see it, the biblical references are quite fitting, seeing as how you wish to know me in the biblical sense. And I think that can be arranged."

She laughed breezily and gave Logan a _come hither_ look, pulling him forward as she beckoned him with elegant fingers.

Darting around the corner of the wall, her hair blew behind her and her laughter floated like a song on the breeze. Logan slunk forward, drawn in by his own personal Lilith, by Succubus, by Siobhan.

"Come and get me," she teased, her voice light and breezy.

"That's the plan."


	9. Lesson Number One

**Here we go, another chapter. Yes, the title is based on a Disney song, don't tease me. Enjoy. **

**Chapter 9**

**Lesson Number One **

"Sorry about lessons being cancelled yesterday," Siobhan apologized as she and the other teachers of sorts made their way into the field by the temple, much the same as they had the day before, though for the three party animals were noticeably less hung-over. Siobhan was also in a much lighter mood than she had been the previous night. She was breezy and glowing, a true picture of serene exuberance – an oxymoron, yet a fitting description.

"Hope you guys got plenty of rest," Quinn chuckled. "She's been like this all morning, like she put speed in her cereal."

"High on life, Quinn. High on life," Siobhan insisted playfully. "I'd like to see you feel this good in the morning."

"It's been done, though it usually requires either drugs, sex or alcohol. See all of the above for drastic results," Quinn rebuked.

"Now, Quinn, I doubt you know what it's like to revel in the highs of sex," Siobhan purred. "With someone other than yourself, that is."

"Can it, Von," Quinn quipped. "I could say something of the same for you. When's the last time you've had anyone but you're lonesome self to have a bit of fun with?"

"Not nearly as long ago as you think," she retorted.

The X-Men, in their few short days here had come to appreciate Siobhan and Quinn's teasing banter.

"Should we not get started, Siobhan?" Asha asked. "Seeing as how we missed out on yesterday."

"No, Ash, let's just stand around all day," Siobhan giggled.

"But that would be counterproductive," Asha replied. She really couldn't grasp the concept of sarcasm.

"I was… never mind," Siobhan sighed. "Get with your instructors guys, you have a long day ahead of you."

**XxX**

"Quinn, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I really don't see how this is going to help my shape shifting," Rahne said, staring incredulously at the field of sheep that Quinn had asked her to _herd_. Yes, as in herd like a sheepdog. Put as politely as possible, _what the hell was he thinking_?

"I asked the same thing when I was your age," Quinn chuckled. "I used to catch Siobhan down by the cliffs, throwing stuff in the ocean. Little did I know at the time that it was stuff she wanted me to find. I can't tell you how long I played Owl Scavenger Hunt in the Atlantic. But in the end, I figured out how to tap into a bunch of owl qualities I didn't even know I had. It's all about getting in touch with your inner animal," he explained.

"And I suppose you're gonna have Jamie make as many duplicates of himself as possible," Rahne quipped.

Quinn laughed. "Something like that."

Rahne let out a long sigh as she watched Jamie roll down a nearby hill, a new duplicate spitting out at every rotation. Did this guy _really_ know what he was doing?

**XxX**

"Mr. Summers, do you see that target downfield?" Asha asked, looking at Scott intensely. She was no make-believe warrior princess like Siobhan had been when they first met her. No, Asha Johnson was a true warrior, a fact that was best not to be forgotten.

"Yes Ms. Johnson," he replied, holding back the urge to salute only because he knew mocking the pissed off South African wouldn't be wise.

"And Mr. da Costa, Mr. Guthrie, I imagine you can see your own targets?" Asha asked the boys, who nodded. There were three targets set up in the field about 50 feet away. They were all archery targets, Roberto's being standard size, Scott's having a bull's-eye the size of a basketball and Sam's bull's-eye being the size of a hula-hoop.

"I want you to hit the bull's-eye," she ordered. That wasn't anything new. The Professor had them do similar drills all the time. What was new however was the distance factor. Normally, Logan or the Professor would have the targets set up twenty feet away, maybe thirty. But this was farther than they'd ever tried to shoot, and for good reason.

"Not to undermine your authority, Ms. Johnson, but Professor Xavier told us not to do target practice at such a great distance. I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting the targets to be placed for away, but isn't it true that from such a great distance, there's a greater risk of misfiring?" Roberto asked, trying not to anger the warrior.

"Of course," Asha agreed. "I'd never advise any of you to attempt long-range shots in battle. Not until you've been properly trained. That's why this is called target _practice_. But in time, you'll find that hitting a target from a distance of up to a couple hundred feet to be rather simple. Do you see that target?" Asha asked, pointing downfield. They boys squinted but could vaguely make out she shape of another target about two hundred feet away from where they stood. Without so much as a moments pause, Asha brought her hand up and shot a bolt of lightning out of her palm. It landed with a loud _smack_ in the center of the target, knocking it over.

"See? Practice."

**XxX**

"Ooohhmmm… You are one with the wind, the earth, to sun. Feel it anchor you to the ground, the grass holding steadfast, drawing you home… Ooohhmmm…" Miguel chanted in a deep, meditative voice.

"Miguel," Kitty began, using the same pensive tone of voice as her mentor… and apparently yoga instructor. "Like, why are we meditating?"

"Because, Kitty dearest, we are not like the others," Miguel explained in a calm, relaxed voice. "While others channel and control the energy within, we become it. We are energy and therefore, need to be grounded to fully harness our abilities without fear of being taken over by them."

"Taken over?" Kurt asked anxiously.

"It's a scary concept, understandably, but yes, it can happen. Imagine, Kurt, if you couldn't stop teleporting, jumping from place to place without a moment's peace. And you, Kitty, what if you couldn't become solid again, to not be able to touch and most importantly, eat. And Remy, if you couldn't touch anything without having it explode," Miguel continued. "I got stuck as Invisible Miguel for almost three weeks once. It was actually one of the main reasons I came to here. There are whisperings all across the mutant communities of this place, but still, it's hard to find. Siobhan is usually going out to scout, not getting at doorstep."

"So, like, we should totally meditate," Kitty said, nodding in mild panic.

"Yeah, great, wonderful, let's do this… meditation thingy," Kurt added, seconding Kitty's panicking notion.

"Remy agrees," Remy finished, his voice laced with worry.

"Very well," Miguel replied, suppressing a smirk. Not that his story hadn't been true, but sometimes people could be so easily freaked.

"Ooohhmmm…"

**XxX**

"Welcome to my garden," Rani said, timidly. She had led them through her house, a lovely and humble four bedroom stone cabin, much like the ones the X-Men were staying in only larger and more homey. Lance, Bobby and Amara were greeted by Rani's husband. He introduced himself as Hari; he and Rani had been married for twelve years and had two children together, a girl and a boy. Their daughter, Indira, was six years old and their son, Lahar, was nine. They insisted their guests have tea before jumping into work, and the X-Men in question felt quite comfortable sitting with Rani and her husband. They were both very interesting, intellectual people.

They had finished their tea a few short moments ago and they were now being led by Rani into her back yard, into her garden. Hari had joked that it was like Rani's third child but they had all assumed he was being sarcastic. He was not.

"This looks incredible, Rani," Amara complimented, looking around at the huge expanse of garden. It was divided into three clear sections; vegetables, flowers, and fruits. There was a section off to the side where a bench rested under two short, quaint trees beside a koi pond.

"Thank you, Amara," Rani said, blushing slightly at the praise she had been given. "I put a lot of work into it."

"It shows," Bobby assured her.

"You're really an incredible gardener," Lance added.

"Well, that's good," Rani said, smiling. "Everything I grow here is edible, even the flowers. All the produce that's in your fridges and pantries is grown right here."

"That's too cool," Bobby exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're so intrigued by the idea of being self-sustainable," Rani said. "We have windmills, solar panels and even a few water turbines to provide us with electricity. We've also got a small farm down the hill where we get fresh milk and eggs. We have chicken and fish all year round and beef and ham is cured and smoked in the fall. I could take you sometime, if you'd like," she offered.

"That would be incredible," Amara chirped.

"Alright, I'll talk with the McGuires tonight, they run the farm. Maybe we'll head up tomorrow. But for now, why don't we all sit and talk about what it means to draw your powers from the earth and how the way _you_ treat _it_ affects the way _it_ cooperates with _you_."

**XxX**

"Okay, dish," Siobhan ordered, sitting down the arm of the chair Rogue was sitting in. Jean and Rogue were with Siobhan in her house, in her living room, lounging around as they listened to Siobhan bubble away about how beautiful of a day it was. Maybe Quinn had been on to something.

"Dish?" Rogue questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, about you and Remy," Siobhan elaborated. Rogue sighed. Damn, Siobhan could be such a…a…a girl!

"It was so sweet. He drew me a bath and made us a picnic down by the water," Rogue gushed. Okay, so maybe she could be a girl sometimes too, seemingly against her will.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Von squeaked, smiling ear to ear. "Isn't romance just so beautiful? Did you guys, you know, do anything?"

"He's alive isn't he," Rogue scoffed.

"So you really can't even touch him a little?" Siobhan asked, incredulous. "Not even a little peck on the cheek?"

"No," Rogue grumbled.

"At least you have someone who actually wants to touch you," Jean sighed. "Damn him, what does he think he's playing at! It seems so much like he likes me, that is until I come anywhere near him at which point he suddenly can't get away from me fast enough."

"Boys are silly," Siobhan giggled. "You just have to know what buttons to push."

There was a _ding_ from the kitchen and Siobhan's face lit up in excitement.

"Cookies," she practically sang.

As Siobhan stood both girls noticed, there on her bare back where he uncharacteristically concealing shit had ridden up, a set of three slash wounds, angry, red, and as far as they could tell, recent.

"Siobhan, what happened to your back?" Rouge asked suddenly, catching a slight blush on Siobhan's cheeks before the succubus-like mutant managed to compose herself.

"It's nothing," she said, pulling down her shirt. "I merely got a bit carried away in my fun, nothing to worry about."

"Your fun?" Jean wondered.

"Oh God," Rogue gasped. "Jean, where have we seen claws like those before?"

"Um, on Logan but he was…" Jean trailed off, putting two and two together, gasping. "He was here, last night to pick up Ray!"

Siobhan was blushing intensely now.

"Siobhan?" Rogue said, pleading silently that she would tell them they were wrong.

Siobhan shook her head and chuckled lightly before divulging, "The man is animal."

"Oh my God, T.M.I," Jean squealed at the same time Rogue shouted, "My ears, they bleed!"

"Alright, alright," Siobhan giggled. "I won't talk details about what your something of a daddy-dearest and I got up to last night."

"Please," both girls answered at once, not wanting to be exposed to the horror of thinking about Logan in bed.

"Relax girls, I won't do anything to scar you…yet," Siobhan teased. "Now, I have cookies to remove from the oven before they burn. When I get back, however, we will be discussing someone's love life, and if not mine, it'll have to be one of yours."

"Not to put a damper on this little girlfest we've got going, but I thought you were going to be teaching us about our powers, Von," Jean said before Siobhan could disappear into the kitchen.

"I am," Siobhan replied. "We're Psyche users, remember. It's all about what's going on in our heads. The best way to control our powers is to deal with out emotions and at our age, no feeing is more prominent than our need to fornicate."

"Did you have to be so crude about things?" Jean scoffed, but soon lost her composure and giggled when she saw Siobhan's perplexed face.

"Crude? What part of having sexual desires is complex that I could ever be crude? As humans, we crave to be touched and stimulated. It's only natural. I don't see why you lot get so embarrassed at the concept. Now, if you'd allow, I really must get to the kitchen because these cookies are going to burn."


	10. Amends Almost

**Alright, here's another chapter. We're nearing the end. Maybe two or three more chapters, I haven't really decided. On a side note, come on guys, this is pitiful. Could you all please just review? I'm begging here. It's really disheartening. I know I don't update regularly and maybe my writing isn't everyone's style but can I have some feedback, at least? And also, I'm going to writing camp so the next two weeks I won't be around so definably no updates (sorry for that but it is a **_**writing**_** camp so I'm not totally abandoning you). Anyway, enjoy guys, okay. **

**Chapter 10**

**Amends... Almost**

"Hey, Scott, are you hungry?" Jean asked as she came into the living room where Scott was sitting, reading an old, worn out novel. Their first day of lessons had gone quite well, according to their instructors anyway. None of the students felt as though they had made any progress.

"Um, yeah," Scott said, bookmarking his place. "Did you want me to make something?"

"I was actually going to make something anyway, I just wanted to know how much to put on," she explained. Things had been awkward between the pair since the dance. Neither knew quite what to say to the other. It was obvious to everyone else that each had feeling for the other, but they remained painfully unaware.

"I can help," Scott offered. "You probably don't need help; I'd just be in the way. But if you do, I do…help and stuff."

"Um, ah, you're probably busy, just with the reading and all that," Jean stammered awkwardly before clearing her throat. "If you want, I would want you… in the kitchen."

"Sure," Scott agreed. He got up and placed his book on the arm of the couch before heading over to join Jean next to the fridge. She opened it and pulled out some spinach, some mushrooms, and a piece of chicken breast. She reached under the cupboard and grabbed two onions and a bulb of garlic.

"How does sautéed chicken with spinach and mushrooms sound?" Jean asked Scott, who nodded approvingly.

"I hope you can cook better than I can or this might turn out to be a disaster," Scott chuckled.

"Don't worry, I can cook," Jean said, softly. "Do you want potatoes as a side?" she asked.

"As opposed to?" Scott wondered. He had wondered why the Irish potato famine had been such a big thing, but he was beginning to understand. What else were they gonna grow? They had a thing for potatoes.

"I dunno, stuffed tomatoes, baked broccoli," Jean supplied. She could get inventive with food.

"Just potatoes is fine," Scott said. "Do you want me to start peeling?"

"No, I think I'll stuff and bake them this time," Jean said. "I'll turn the over on and you can put them in."

"Sure," Scott said, taking out two potatoes out from under the sink and beginning to wash them.

"Jean," he said suddenly, interrupting the quiet that had fallen upon them. "I'm sorry."

"They're potatoes, Scott. How badly could you possibly have messed up?"

"Uh, I didn't mean for the potatoes," Scott said, keeping his eyes downcast. Hey, this potato looked like it had a face.

"What did you mean then?" Jean asked, cutting the chicken into strips. There was the audible _drop, drop_ sound being made as water droplets fell from the faucet and Scott remained silent.

"I mean for the other night," he said finally.

"So you actually were sober enough to remember," Jean chuckled awkwardly. "Here I was hoping you wouldn't remember a thing. A least not the important stuff."

"I..." Scott tailed off, at a loss of words. "Did you mean it, Jean?"

"You mean when I tried to kiss you?"

"Well, yeah," he mumbled.

"Did you mean to turn me down?" she retorted, throwing the chicken into a bowl and heading over the sink to wash her hands. They had yet to make eye contact.

"Honestly?" Scott wondered.

"That would be nice," Jean clipped, shaking her hands dry before wiping the excess on her pants.

They were quiet for a moment Scott before took a deep breath to gather his courage. "No," he admitted. "I would have kissed you. I wanted to but I thought you were drunk and didn't know what you were doing. _I _was drunk and definitely had _no_ idea what _I_ was doing. I really like you Jean. I've always really liked you. I'm sorry if you have a problem with that but I'm tired of hiding it."

Scott chanced a glance up at Jean to gauge her reaction and saw that her eyes were filling up with tears. She stepped towards him almost mechanically and, to Scott's surprise crushed their lips together in a passionate kiss. He found himself automatically drawing her closer, pouring all those years of longing and frustration into their kiss. They only parted when they ran completely out of oxygen.

"I didn't realize you thought of me that way," Scott breathed.

"How badly are those shades affecting your vision?" Jean asked, giggling slightly. Scott leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

"I'm just thick," Scott laughed. "Now, once supper is ready, we should turn the lights down low, light a few candles and have a real date to make up for lost time."

"That sound like a splendid idea," Jean agreed, turning back to the stove and turning on a burner. "Now, I believe you were put on potato duty. You should get back to it."

"Yes ma'am."

**XxX**

"Hey Lance," Kitty said. She and Lance were curled up on the sofa together.

"Yeah," he replied.

"I was just thinking," she began. "Rogue said something and I though it was a good idea."

"And what was she saying?" Lance wondered. He could tell Kitty was in her serious, speculative mode.

"I was telling her about us, you know, 'cuz she's a friend and everything," Kitty said. Lance had figured that Kitty would talk to her friends about what had happened between them, and that was fine by him. Women confused him and it was good that she had friends to talk about confusing stuff that he could help her with.

"Alight, and what did she suggest?" Lance wondered.

"We should both just agree that it didn't count," Kitty explained. "It's not a bad idea. It happened, but it doesn't count as a real first time because we weren't in full control of our actions at the time."

"If that's what you want," Lance agreed offhandedly.

"But it doesn't seem like that's what you want," Kitty sighed, turning to sit upright so she could look Lance in the eye.

"No, don't get me wrong Kitty, if you really think that's what we should do than I'm behind you one hundred percent," Lance said.

"I sense a _but_ coming," Kitty said.

"But," Lance began. "Well, not to get all sentimental on you, but if we pretend it didn't happen, I almost feel like you're saying you regret being with me. I know, it doesn't make much sense and it's a totally irrational way of looking at things, but that's how I feel about it."

"I don't regret being with you," Kitty said quickly. "And I may regret the circumstances but I don't regret our actions," she added. "There's actually more to my proposal."

"Which is," Lance prompted when Kitty remained silent.

"I wanna do it over," she said. "So that this time it does mean something and we both remember."

"That's a big proposal, Kit," Lance said anxiously. "I don't want to rush you."

"I'm ready," Kitty assured him. She stood and pulled Lance to his feet, hissing him hungrily before taking him by the hand and dragging him to their room.

**XxX**

"So you just decided you would sleep with him," Quinn hollered. He had cornered Siobhan in her living room after routine five o'clock her shower. She had changed into her pyjamas but here hair was still wet.

Quinn had gotten word of her little escapade with Logan and was not too pleased. Siobhan just scoffed and threw herself into a lounge chair.

"What's your beef?" she asked. "I'm an adult. I can sleep with whoever the bloody hell I want."

"That's an irresponsible way of looking at life," Quinn accused. "You don't even know him."

"It was just sex," she retorted.

"_Just_ sex?" he sputtered. "Are you listening to yourself? You're turning into a bloody whore, Siobhan."

"Excuse me?" Siobhan asked, incredulous, getting up from her seat. "What did you just call me?"

"Come on Von, it's the truth, isn't it?" he snapped. "You'll pretty much open your legs for anyone, as long as there are no strings attached."

"You best watch your mouth or you'll be out of here sooner than you can think to insult me again," Siobhan threatened.

"Maybe that's best," Quinn spat. "I can't stand to stay around and watch you be with other guys, to hear you go on about how they made you feel free and alive. You want other guys, that fine. Just don't expect me to be here to congratulate you on being a slut. You've got Miguel for that. You don't need me," he finished, on the verge of tears.

He spun around and stalked out of Siobhan's home, slamming the door on the way out. Siobhan stood, dumbstruck.

What the hell was that all about?


	11. A Job Well Done

**That's it. It's finally done. I know, it could have been longer and it could have been better, but to be honest, I'm getting a bit tired of it. It's been around a year that I've been working on this and I think it's time this project came to a close. Thank you for sticking with me so long and please, if you've come this far, leave a review. It's the last chapter, I really want to know how you enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) the story. Happy Reading. AlphaWolf13. **

**Chapter 11**

**A Job Well Done**

"He called me a whore," Siobhan shrieked, pacing around in Miguel's living room. Shortly after Quinn had stormed out of her place, she had shoved on her shoes and her coat and gone to Miguel in a huff. "Where does he get the nerve to call me a whore?"

"I'm sure he was just upset, Von," Miguel assured.

"Why?" Siobhan yelled. "Please explain to me how my sex life is any of his business?"

"Well, you are always talking to him about it," Miguel said.

"Whose side are you on?" the redhead snapped.

"I don't take sides between friends," he said. "It seems to me that you're both upset. Give it some time."

"But what if time apart is all it takes for Quinn to realize that he really doesn't want to be with me anymore?" she asked timidly.

"You say it as if you're dating," Miguel laughed.

Siobhan's eyes widened almost comically as she let out a small gasp, realizing that Miguel was right. It really _was_ like they were dating. And she didn't want them to be any other way. Judging by how upset Quinn was that she had been with someone else, she could guess that he too wanted to be more than just friends.

"Shit," she swore. "Miguel, I have to go fix something."

"Go get him," Miguel encouraged, as Siobhan threw on her shoes and darted out the door. She ran through the damp field at a breakneck speed. When she arrived on his doorstep, she pounded furiously. There was a noise from inside as Quinn moved to open the door.

"What do you want Siobhan?" he asked tiredly.

Instead of answering him with words, she threw herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him with everything she had. He didn't miss a beat, pulling her closer and kissing back. When they pulled back for air, he kissed her forehead gently and tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

"Please don't stay mad at me," she whispered. "Please don't go anywhere. I _do_ need you."

"You've got a bloody strange way of showing it," he sighed. "I always thought, because you were so willing to sleep with just about anyone, that there's no way you could want me."

"Yeah," Von laughed. "Well I can sense sexual energy and I had no idea that you wanted me back, so I didn't try."

"That's because I'm not lusting after you," he said. "I'm in love with you, Siobhan Fitzpatrick."

"I'm in love with you too, Quinn Murdock," she sighed happily before leaning in to kiss him once again.

**xXx**

Another five weeks passed but finally, Siobhan deemed the X-Men ready to return home, having been taught everything the _sochaí_ could teach them. The sun was just peeking up over the horizon when the Blackbird touched down outside the compound gates. Asha, along with a telekinetic from the _sochaí _met Ororo, Charles and Logan at the front gates. They escorted them to the temple in the town's center, much like they had the first day. Waiting there were the young X-Men, laughing and getting along better then they ever had before.

"You did a good job," Charles commented. Siobhan smiled softly.

"They're great kids," she said.

"Professor," Scott greeted, waving with one hand while he held Jean around the waist with the other. Professor X smiled warmly. Finally, Jean and Scott had stopped running circles around each other and admitted their feeling.

A cursory glance around the temple showed that Jean and Scott had not being the only couple to benefit for their little trip to Ireland. Kitty and Lance sat cuddled up to one another, Remy and Rogue were holding gloved hands and even Roberto and Sam had their hands interlaced for all to see.

"You did a really good job," he furthered.

"Did you just tell everyone to hook up left right and center," Logan grumbled.

"Falling in love is to be expected when you work very closely on a team with someone," Quinn said, coming over to stand behind Siobhan, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek. Siobhan giggled airily and Logan stiffened, but didn't react otherwise.

"It's good to see you all again, children," Ororo said, smiling brightly and going over to hug her young protégés. "I've missed you all."

"We missed you too," Rahne sighed. The others agreed. It was great to have spent time with the _sochaí_ and their instructors were totally awesome, but they were all starting to miss home.

"So no chance I've gotten myself any new recruits?" Siobhan teased. The group laughed and shook their heads no.

"It's no bother," Siobhan sighed. "But I am going to miss you all. Try to remember what we taught you, alright."

"There's no way we'll be forgetting this any time soon," Jean assured her, walking over to her mentor and hugging her tightly. Pretty soon, a group hug had formed and almost everyone was in tears, Bobby crying possibly the hardest of them all.

"We'll visit, alright?" Kitty asked.

"You're welcome any time," Miguel assured them.

"We need to be getting back," Charles said, breaking up the moment. "Go get your bags and we'll meet at the jet."

They all did as they were told and some ten minutes later, almost everyone was aboard the Blackbird. Only Rogue and Remy remained outside, taking in the last of the beautiful Irish morning.

"Remy," she began hesitantly.

"Yes, _chérie_?" he replied.

"I learned something," she continued. "Just hold still."

Remy did as he was asked and slowly but surely, Rogue got up on the tips of her toes and delicately kissed her boyfriend. The kiss didn't last long and so shortly after, Rogue pulled back, flushed and panting.

"That takes a lot more energy than I'd like it to," she wheezed. Remy rested a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him.

"Remy doesn't care, _ma chère_," he said slowly. "If you can't kiss him, it doesn't matter. What matters to Remy is knowing that you will always be with him. If the physical never comes, he can live with that. He just wants you happy, and healthy. Don't push yourself for Remy."

"I want to, though," Rogue sighed. "I want to be able to kiss you. I really care about you."

"And Remy _loves_ you," Remy said. "He will always love you."

"That's good, cuz you aren't going anywhere."

After another moment of watching the horizon, they boarded the jet with the others and the Blackbird shot into the sky. The X-Men took one last fleeting look at the _sochaí aontaithe _before it disappeared behind the fog.

**THE END**


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